I would pose another question besides that one: what is man's distinction from the animals?
Alfred North Whitehead once observed, "I dare say the ants and the bees have smoothly working systems, but they do not change. This element of novelty is what makes the difference between man and the animals." Well, that's one of them, but what else?
I used to be cruel towards ants when I was a kid, but I've since been accomodating them as welcome guests. The ants only become pests if you leave the food out and they're desperate enough to raid a pantry, they're otherwise harmless. But if you're dealing with fire ants, show no mercy.
An user shared this theory with me, although she was no expert, based on her experience of growing up at a farm and a lifetime of interacting with animals:
"I believe there is a possibility for an animals soul to evolve to that of a human, if it receives enough energy during its lifetime > as we love and cherish an animal, it receives that energy... If we take it that animals are part of a collective, and can develop individuality through nurturing, it is possibly because dogs, cats other pet type have so much interaction that the nurtured parts develop and are moulded more towards our souls."
She also had recurring dreams about 2025: https://old.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comm...r/ihyssfx/
There were users who posted comparison photos of feral strays changed drastically within a year of being adopted. It's also true in reverse: domestic animals who are released into the wild regress back to their old condition, but they still remember their human benefactors.
Whitehead added, "Man sees a future in the present; there is a vision of what can be done with the materials of what is. A dog sees the present as a present and nothing else."
From all this, it follows that man serves to ennoble *physical* matter; the task of an artist is to shape beautiful forms from what exists and immortalize nature in art.
Now the problem is, "Material comes out of the factory ennobled, the workers come out of it debased." We pay more attention to the breeding of animals while being unable to value the lives of people.
Alfred North Whitehead once observed, "I dare say the ants and the bees have smoothly working systems, but they do not change. This element of novelty is what makes the difference between man and the animals." Well, that's one of them, but what else?
(03-30-2024, 07:51 AM)NightskyeB4Dawn Wrote: The ants seem to actually be higher up on the list than we are. They at least play an important role in the environment. Ants turn and aerate the soil, allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots. They have a positive impact.While growing up, the ants were the only ones who were there for me when I had no friends to talk with, as my apartment doesn't allow for pets and I didn't have the money to maintain aquariums.
I used to be cruel towards ants when I was a kid, but I've since been accomodating them as welcome guests. The ants only become pests if you leave the food out and they're desperate enough to raid a pantry, they're otherwise harmless. But if you're dealing with fire ants, show no mercy.
(03-30-2024, 03:41 AM)NightskyeB4Dawn Wrote: What purpose do we serve? This planet does not need us to survive. Look at the fig tree and all the life that it supports. So many other species that are so important in the circle of life on this planet. What do we humans bring to the table?Well, I must point out how human interaction with animals, especially domestic pets, seems to draw out their consciousness.
An user shared this theory with me, although she was no expert, based on her experience of growing up at a farm and a lifetime of interacting with animals:
"I believe there is a possibility for an animals soul to evolve to that of a human, if it receives enough energy during its lifetime > as we love and cherish an animal, it receives that energy... If we take it that animals are part of a collective, and can develop individuality through nurturing, it is possibly because dogs, cats other pet type have so much interaction that the nurtured parts develop and are moulded more towards our souls."
She also had recurring dreams about 2025: https://old.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comm...r/ihyssfx/
There were users who posted comparison photos of feral strays changed drastically within a year of being adopted. It's also true in reverse: domestic animals who are released into the wild regress back to their old condition, but they still remember their human benefactors.
Whitehead added, "Man sees a future in the present; there is a vision of what can be done with the materials of what is. A dog sees the present as a present and nothing else."
From all this, it follows that man serves to ennoble *physical* matter; the task of an artist is to shape beautiful forms from what exists and immortalize nature in art.
Now the problem is, "Material comes out of the factory ennobled, the workers come out of it debased." We pay more attention to the breeding of animals while being unable to value the lives of people.